I'll Be Home
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Home is where the heart is, they say. Well, the heart of a Guardian resides wherever there is wonder, hope, memories, dreams, and fun in the world. A Guardian's home is the world. Series of Rise of the Guardians oneshots. FairyFrost
1. Sweet Dreams

**Wow! Ya'll really loved Fever, didn't you? I kept getting reviews asking for more. I won't be typing any more of Fever, because it was meant to be a short three-shot. But, I still have a ton of ideas involving Rise of the Guardians! This is inspired by Perfectly Dysfunctional, a series of Family/Friendship Generator Rex oneshots by Shyma Tavrott Lupin. I liked the idea of doing a similar idea for RotG. There will be family stuff, friendship, backstories, and FairyFrost (of course). Enjoy! ^_^**

The sand was alive as long as he was. That was how the dreams spread all across the world, never ending, always changing. It weaved through the air, through every fiber of DNA, through every drop of water, within every living creature.

Technically, Sandy didn't have to be present for the dreams to come. That was fortunate, as there would be many dreamless nights and a very exhausted Guardian otherwise. He loved being there when the sand lit up the night sky, though. He loved going to individual children and playing with their dreams, melding with them, making them better than before.

The Sand Man had access to every thought, both conscious and unconscious, that existed within a dreamer's mind. He would find the happiest or most meaningful of these thoughts and bring them forward. If the person was having a problem, he would try to weave a dream that would point them toward a solution.

Tonight, however, he was not looking in on the room of a child, old woman, or lonely bachelor. Tonight, he was visiting the dreams of his fellow Guardians.

Sandy tried to visit the minds of his friends at least once a week. It allowed him to learn about them and spend time with them in a way that was impossible when awake. His inability to speak acted as a barrier, even now. True, Jack chatted with him often, mostly because the young Winter spirit could easily hold a conversation on his own. Also, Bunnymund, who preferred silence, spent more time with him than any of the others. Still, such encounters taught Sandy little.

Because of dreams, however, he knew his fellow Guardians better than they could ever know each other.

A golden hand rested on North's brow. The jolly bringer of Christmas had been stressed lately with December 25th approaching quickly. Dark circles rested under his eyes, which twitched randomly.

Over the course of a few hours, Sandy had given Santa a steady stream of dream sand. Putting him to sleep all at once would have been too obvious and would have led to a reprimand upon the Guardian's awakening. Instead, the Sand Man worked slowly, convincing North that he needed to sleep. Now, the day's stress was showing on his ruddy face. He was beginning to dream of work.

Sandy sighed. Dream sand naturally worked with the mind. If left to its own devices, stress-related dreams could sometimes emerge from it. Closing his eyes, the Guardian of Dreams entered North's mind.

He slowly took North away from the factory, away from the deadlines. He probed his subconscious mind and elected on a specific dream that had been used many times before: the Guardian of Wonder's first snowfall.

North smiled in his sleep as his childhood self gazed up at the silver sky, reaching out to catch the tiny flakes of snow, trying to see their shapes before they melted on his hands. He ran with his dog, chasing white-tailed deer and laughing.

Little did North realize, the dog had bright gold eyes.

Dog-Sandy barked joyfully, running after a snowball thrown by North. He jumped into the air, closing his jaws around it. He snuffled at the ground and trotted around the boy's feet. After a few dream-hours, the pair went inside. The dog rested his head on North's knee, sniffing the scent of hot chocolate and enjoying cookies snuck from the plate on the table.

A content smile was on Sandy's face as he separated himself from his friend's thoughts. North would have peaceful dreams tonight.

Bunnymund was his next stop.

The Easter Bunny liked dreaming of the past, of the days when there were many Pookas still roaming the deep places in the earth. Sandy effortlessly melded with the dream, where Bunny ran with his brothers and sisters through their warren, not noticing that there was one extra brother whose fur was the color of sand.

Sandy laughed as he ran through the tunnels as a Pooka, playfully cuffing his brother's fur. In this time, Bunny was known as Aster. When he became the last of his kind, however, he had no one to call him by such a noble name. Over time, after he became a Guardian, he was simply known as "Bunny" or by his last name, "Bunnymund". Sandy was the only one who knew the Guardian of Hope's original name, but he had no voice with which to say it.

A furry foot thumped the ground and Bunny's nose twitched happily as he and his family skillfully robbed a vegetable garden.

Sandy let out a silent chuckle as he disengaged himself from the dream and reached out to stroke Bunny's soft brow. The twitching relaxed and Bunnymund rolled onto his back, yawning softly.

The Tooth Fairy had fallen asleep on her clipboard again. Little fairies continued humming to and fro, bringing teeth and leaving with money. A few had already put a pillow under their superior's head and covered her with a warm quilt.

Like North, Tooth was dreaming about work.

Sandy only had to sift through her mind for a moment before finding a good dream for her. Ever since the defeat of Pitch, Jack Frost was almost always in Tooth's thoughts. The Sand Man had known that she was in love with the Guardian of Fun long before she did.

Within a few minutes, a dream of teeth began to focus solely on Jack's snow-white teeth and finally on Jack himself. Tooth hugged her pillow as the dream versions of her and Jack leaped from the ground and chased each other across the starry sky. Sandy didn't enter this dream, but he did relocate her to her own bed, wrapping the covers snugly around her feathery shoulders.

When he got to Jack Frost, Sandy was horrified to see the youngest Guardian in the beginning thralls of a nightmare. Black sand was starting to swirl, forming images of cracking ponds, unbearable cold, and fire.

In the span of a second, Jack relived his own death. He felt the ice crack beneath his feet before he was suddenly engulfed in stinging black water.

Sandy wasted no time in sending a wave of golden sand crashing across Jack's entire body, effectively absorbing and snuffing out the budding nightmare. Just before the nightmare died, there was an image of strange creatures with red skin and flaming fingertips.

Cursing himself for not being able to keep the nightmare from even forming, the Sand Man immediately set to work creating a good dream.

He had always liked Jack. The boy's vivacity and laughter were contagious. Before he had become a Guardian, Jack had waited for Sandy to appear after nightfall. Sometimes, on slow nights, the two would try to see who could make the best pictures. Jack's snow and ice sculptures were impressive, but Sandy always won.

After hearing about Jack's memories, Sandy had been able to recall a young boy with mischievous brown eyes. His dreams had always been vivid and joyful.

Vivid and joyful. Sandy was surprised at how easily Jack was able to bounce back from such an awful nightmare with a dream about a snowball fight. The Guardian of Fun was never frightened for very long, it seemed.

With a wave of his hand, Sandy summoned the forms of Jamie, Cupcake, and their friends. Dream-Jack skated across the snow, creating a flurry of his special snowballs. After a moment's consideration, the Guardian of Dreams created the image of Jack's little sister. A smile came to Jack's sleeping face. Finally, Sandy put the other Guardians into the snowball fight before melding with the dream as himself.

Jack's wants and needs were written plainly in his thoughts. He needed to be believed in. He wanted to see his sister again. He desperately wished to become close to all of the Guardians, to not be an outcast within their group. He even wanted Bunny's approval, though this wish was buried _very_ deeply in the very back of his subconscious mind.

As Sandy picked up a snowball, he continued to pay close attention to this dream, making sure it continued to assure Jack that his greatest wishes had already come true, that he never had to worry or be lonely.

He _was_ believed in. His sister was gone, but would _always_ be alive in his heart. He _was_ a Guardian. His fellow Guardians _did_ care for him. Sandy glanced at Dream-Tooth and drew lightly on the budding crush that Jack had begun to nurse in his subconscious mind. Dream-Bunny was as snarky as ever, but there wasn't a hint of anger or disapproval on his face. Dream-North was as jolly as ever. And Sandy…well, he was Sandy!

Sandy, who was _really_ enjoying himself, stayed in the dream longer than necessary before reluctantly returning to reality. He had children to visit. As he began to float toward the sky to become one with other dreamers, he focused on his fellow Guardians one more time. North. Bunny. Tooth. Jack.

He closed his eyes and drew the sand close to him, feeling the traces of his friends' dreams enfolding his heart as the moon looked on.

**After Jack, I have to say that Sandy is my favorite Guardian. I've always liked mute characters, because they are always able to convey so much without saying a word. Their personalities just jump out more. Do you know what I mean? Plus, he's a freaking badass! I'll be updating whenever an idea strikes me. Peace out! ^_^**


	2. A Furry Heart to Heart

**Sup, ya'll! Here's another chapter from Channel Solora. Exam week is this week, but I hardly have anything to do. So, I'm gonna be writing. I'll probably see RotG again over Christmas break (along with The Hobbit. EEEEEEEEEK!) This chapter is just a Family/Friendship chappie between Bunny and Jack. It takes place after the events of the movie. Enjoy!**

Jack glanced appraisingly at the soft, grassy fields of the warren as Bunny led him to the end of the tunnel. The sparkling violet lake bubbled a short distance away while occasional puffs of color came from the overhanging flowers. He kept a wary eye on the Pooka: Bunny had said that he needed to talk to Jack in private. That could only mean bad news! The kangaroo had had a weird look in his eye.

Bunny hopped ahead, scratching his ear before standing up. His ears were flat against his head and his nose was twitching. "Want a drink, mate?"

"Uh…no thanks." The Guardian of Fun tilted his head. "Did you eat a bad carrot, or something? You're more tense than usual." He gripped his staff nervously. "What did I do this time?"

"What?" Bunny's ear flicked. "Oh, nothing. That's not… Crikey, I don't really know what to…" He sat down. "I've been thinkin' about something, Frostbite."

Jack raised an eyebrow, leaning against a nearby wall. "What's up, kangaroo?" He grinned weakly, hoping to dissipate the other Guardian's nervousness.

Bunny didn't even acknowledge the jibe. "I wanted to talk to you, mate. It's about what happened…before."

"That's real specific." Jack commented dryly, folding his arms. 'This is getting weird… I'm kinda hoping he'll throw his boomerang or something before this gets too awkward.'

"Jack, I wanted to talk to you about what I said at the Pole, when you were first brought there." Bunny finally admitted, flattening his ears even more.

Jack's eyes narrowed at the memory: _"But, nobody believes in you, do they?"_ The infuriating smirk that had crossed that stupid rabbit's face when he said that had nearly caused the winter spirit to freeze him on the spot. "Yeah? What about it?" He asked, his voice colder than before.

Bunny winced, glancing to the side. "After the kids stopped believing in me, I felt empty. When those little ankle-biters walked through me, I nearly fainted. It was…bloody awful." He shook his head. "I didn't know how lonely it is to be invisible. You've been putting up with it for three hundred years. I didn't understand, and I taunted you about it." He smiled a humorless smile. "I'm bloody surprised that calling me a kangaroo was _all_ you did, mate."

The coldness left Jack's face. "I almost turned you into a bunny-sicle." He admitted.

"I wonder what stopped you." The Guardian of Hope shook his head in bemusement.

"Well…" Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "I might've been plotting another big Easter blizzard at that point…" When he glanced back at Bunnymund, he didn't see any anger at the mention of a ruined egg hunt. Instead, there was more guilt in the bunny's eyes.

"On Easter, mate, after what happened with the eggs and Pitch… I was the one to drive you off. I was so angry; I was ready to believe it was all your fault." Bunny thumped his foot irritably. "In return, you went and made Jamie believe in me again."

"Okay, that _was_ my fault." Jack said, folding his arms. "I went to Pitch when I should've gone back to the warren. I wanted my memories so badly, I nearly lost Baby Tooth. In your place, I would've been throwing icicles at anything that moved."

"Even without all that, I probably would have blamed you." Bunnymund admitted shamefully. "You helped us when you had no reason to, made me remember the joy of Easter that I had forgotten, and saved me from disappearing even after being banished from us." He locked his grassy-green eyes with Jack's frosty-blue eyes. "Why, mate?"

Jack frowned thoughtfully, leaning against the wall, staring at his staff. "Before, I was just doing what felt natural and right. Giving fun and happiness to people was always what comforted me. You were such a stiff, throwing that snowflake seemed like the thing to do. And I suppose I was getting into the spirit of things. I really wanted to help. I wanted Sophie to be happy, and I knew you had the ability to connect with her. As for saving you…" Jack trailed off nervously.

Bunny took a step closer and nudged Jack's shoulder with a gentle paw. "I wanna know, mate." He urged. "Please?"

The Guardian of Fun took a deep breath. "Baby Tooth showed me my memories of who I was before I became Jack Frost. I saw…how I became Jack Frost. My sister, Jennifer, and I were skating on this huge pond, but the ice was thin in one place. Jenny was on the thin patch when the ice started cracking." He stared at the ground as he remembered what happened next. "I convinced her to make a game of it, hopping closer to me as if we were playing hopscotch. There was a branch on the ice." He clutched his staff. "When she got close enough, I used it to throw her onto the firm ice. But…I fell in."

When he looked up at Bunny, the Pooka's face was full of shock and sympathy. "That was when I knew what I had to do. I had to be a Guardian to save the children, just as I saved my sister. I had to save you, Jamie, and everyone. I _had_ to." He took a shuddering breath. "For Jenny. She made me realize that…I _am_ a Guardian." A tear trickled down his cheek as a surge of emotion fought its way through his chest. He could still see Jenny calling out to him as he disappeared into the frigid water…

Bunny felt Jack's shoulders tremble and saw the tears. Immediately, he was kneeling down and drawing Jack into a hug. The young Guardian stiffened before burying his face in the Pooka's furry shoulder. While his fur was wetted with frozen tears, Bunny's mind reeled. 'He died. That's how he became what he is. He died to save a child, his sister.' He imagined the ordeal, imagined being brought back with no memories and no one able to see him, imagined being all alone for three hundred years. Another surge of guilt welled up inside him.

"I'm sorry, mate." He murmured. "About everything: what happened, what I said, everything."

As Jack calmed down, he felt his face turn a shameful blue. Out of all the Guardians, Bunny was the last one he'd cry in front of. (Not that he'd allow himself to cry in front of any of them, normally.) He drew back, avoiding eye contact. "I-I forgive you, Bunny. I'm fine. It's cool." He mumbled

"What's that? A pun?" Bunny grinned. When Jack looked up, he took the opportunity to brush the tears from the boy's face. "Don't worry, mate. I'm used to tears. I work with kids, remember?"

Jack grinned a little, despite himself.

"We're friends, mate. Friends and partners." Bunny assured him. "I'm always a good shoulder to cry on. Don't worry." He ruffled Jack's silver hair.

Jack nodded, wiping his face and smiling slightly up at Bunny. "Thank you." Then, he froze, a horrified expression crossing his face. "Okay, this is getting too sappy. Way too sappy! Like…insanely sappy!" He jumped back, creating a blue snowball in his hand and throwing it at Bunny's face. "Heads up!"

"Wha-?!" The snowball shimmered on Bunny's eyes and an evil grin crossed his face. "Bad move, mate." He thumped his foot on the ground and reached into the portal, withdrawing a snowball the size of his head.

Laughing, Jack flew back up the entrance to the warren, followed closely by a vengeful bunny.

**I feel that Jack wouldn't be the type to let a sappy moment last too long. Also, I can see Bunny as being the comforting type when he's not narking at Jack. This is just a scene I felt was missing. I mean, Jack apologized for calling Bunny a kangaroo! Where was Bunny's apology?! He was a lot meaner than Jack was during that little standoff! Ah well. I'll update soon. Peace out!**


	3. Frozen Tears

**This is not a happy chapter. I'm going to tell you that right now.**

**I'm so disillusioned with the world. First the Oregon mall shooting, now twenty children are dead in Connecticut. What is wrong with the world?! What is wrong with people?! It's the month of Christmas, for Creator's sake! It's a time of love, peace, happiness, and good will toward man. I also found that Salvation Army, a charity that I have faithfully given to for years, believes that gays should die and has lobbied for anti-gay policies. I've been putting money into an organization that hates what I am and thinks that I should die.**

**Sobbing rant aside, I've been wondering how Guardians deal with the death of children. I thought it would be especially hard for Jack, because icy roads, hypothermia, and other winter-related factors _cause_ the deaths of many. That was the inspiration, and I'm finally in the right frame of mind to type it. *sigh***

Jack's eyes swam with tears as they scanned the wreckage before him. The wind howled mournfully, whipping the trees in a tragic rage. Slowly, numbly, the Guardian of Fun approached the smashed car.

It was wrapped almost completely around a tree, looking like a mangled soda can. As Jack drew closer, he saw that his beautiful white snow was stained with black oil and red- He pushed the realization away before it could finish forming. Taking a deep breath, he knelt on the ground and peered into one of the smashed windows. The signs were faint, but the two adults were still breathing. Glass and metal decorated their bodies.

Jack breathed a long sigh of relief before bracing himself and moving toward the back seat. There were no breaths coming from the two tiny, motionless figures.

"No..." The winter spirit fell to his knees, glaring tearfully at the icy road. He stared at his staff for a moment before throwing it as far as he could. He stared at the sky, through the clouds, at the frowning moon. "You were wrong about me after all, Manny." He sobbed.

Burying his face in his hands, tears freezing on his skin, Jack began to pray. He begged for his Guardianship to be taken away forever. He didn't deserve it. He wished for a hot wind to come and do away with him. He deserved no less.

In the distance, he could hear sirens. He stood up, staring at the bleeding bodies of the two children. "I'm so sorry..."

"For what?" A low, soft voice asked.

Starting, Jack spun around, finding himself face to face with a tall, gaunt man. The man had white skin that clung to his bones. His eyes were a strange, unearthly shade of blue and glittered like stars. His large, prism-like wings were covered with a long, black hooded cloak. Beside him was a tall, pale, skeletal horse with copper wings and blood-red eyes. Such a mixture of horror and beauty could only be one thing.

"You're late, Grim." Jack muttered halfheartedly.

Death shook his head. "I am never late, boy, nor am I early." Beside him, the pale horse snorted loudly and pawed at the snow. "The Mother tells me that you are now a Guardian of Childhood, yes?"

"Yeah." Jack looked back at the car. "Not that I deserve it, though."

"Did you not defeat Pitch Black and take away a good deal of the world's fear? Did you not save the children from losing their happiness and wonder?"

"Did I not just kill two of the kids I'm supposed to protect?!" Jack shot back, his eyes flashing with pain. "Look at that!" He waved a hand toward the car. The ambulance and police had arrived and people were trying to get the bodies out of the wreckage. Jack could tell from a distance that the parents had stopped breathing.

Death waved a finger, tutting softly. "A poorly-salted road killed them."

"If the road hadn't been icy-"

"Then, you wouldn't have been doing your job." Death finished firmly. "Remember, before you became a Guardian, you were a force of Nature. You still are. You serve the Mother, as I do." He walked over to the car and waved a hand, causing two ghostly figures to appear: the mother and father. "I will leave the children to you, friend, and I give you these parting words: people die. I know that better than most. If not because of an icy road, they perish because of a heat stroke. Or a bullet. Or an illness. Do not dwell on the inevitable, or you will go mad."

He turned to the two ghostly figures and smiled kindly. "Come." The pale horse breathed out a soft puff of air that turned into four tiny, glowing orbs. The parents, as if in a trance, approached the horse and reached out to touch the floating beauties. They vanished along with two of the globes, Death, and the horse, leaving Jack alone.

Biting his lip, Jack turned toward the car. He cleared his throat softly. "H-Hey, guys?"

Immediately, two tiny figures became visible by a tree a few feet from the wreckage. The children were watching the ambulance with confusion.

"Crystal? Jayden?" Jack called, his voice a little louder.

The two kids turned and their faces lit up with twin smiles. "Jack Frost!" The little girl, Crystal, rushed over to him. "Hi, Jack! Thanks for the snow day you gave us last week! Did you see the fort we built?"

Jack swallowed the sob that threatened to form in his throat. "Yeah. It was a pretty sweet fortress."

Jayden had walked away and was now coming back, Jack's staff in his hands. "You forgot your snow-maker, Jack!" He said, holding it out.

"Can we have another snow day next week, Jack?" Crystal asked. In the nature of spirits, the two children had already forgotten about the sirens and the car. Spirits had a tendency to pay more attention to thoughts and ideas than to whatever is happening in the physical realm. "I want to make a really big snowman!"

Jack swiped at his face when he realized that a tear was falling. He knelt down to take his staff from Jayden. "I'll do better than that. I'm going to give you guys a vacation, a really long vacation."

Both children practically glowed with excitement. "Vacation? Can Mom and Dad come?"

"Yeah." The Guardian of Fun nodded slowly. "Yeah, they can come."

"Where are they?" Jayden started to look around. His gaze was almost on the car, where his own bloody corpse was being extracted.

Quickly, Jack drew his attention away. "They're waiting for you. It's fine."

"What are those?" Crystal pointed at the two floating orbs, which were changing color from silver to gold.

"Those will take you to your vacation." Jack said. "You just need to touch them." He paused for a moment before asking: "But, before you go, do you want to have a snowball fight with me?" 'One last snowball fight...'

Both kids grinned simultaneously. "Yeah!"

Jack put a hand on each of their shoulders and guided them deeper into the woods, away from the sirens and blood. The two orbs floated languidly after them.

The next few hours were bittersweet. The kids threw snowball after snowball, making the chilly weapons with lightning speed, not seeming to notice or care when they ended up running through a tree or floating a few inches above the ground. Jack made as many blue snowballs as he could. Every throw ended with a shower of sparkles and a smiling face. In the end, he let both kids tackle him into a snowbank.

Jack burst out laughing just as an annoying sound pierced his eardrum. He turned to see the orbs throbbing impatiently. His face sobered as he stood up. "Time to go, guys." He murmured. Waving a hand, he created two tiny ice sculptures. One was a dragon, the other a unicorn. He handed the dragon to Jayden and the unicorn to Crystal. "These won't ever melt. Hold onto them. They'll...remind you of me."

Crystal tilted her head. "Why do we need a reminder? We remember you all the time!"

Jayden nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yeah! You're our favorite season!"

Jack took a shuddering breath. "This vacation...will be very long. I can't come with you."

The kids blinked up at him. After a moment, Crystal spoke. Her voice was shaky, but incredibly serious for her age. "Will we ever see you again?" She spoke slowly, as if she was coming to a realization. Jayden just stared in confusion.

Jack shut his eyes tightly. Only Death and a few others could pass between the realms of the living and the dead. If the Guardian of Fun was incredibly lucky, these children would be reborn in this dimension and he would be able to play with them again some day in the distant future. If he was _very_ lucky. For the time being, however... "You...might." He replied, his voice cracking. At this point, the orbs started pulling at the kids' minds, drawing them closer.

The children stood up. Quickly, Jayden bent down and made a snowball. "Remember us with this, Jack." He said, holding it out. As Jack took it, Jayden's golden orb touched its partner and vanished along with the boy.

Crystal hugged Jack tightly around the waist. "Bye, Jack. I love you. Both of us do." Then, she was gone.

Jack allowed the tears to come, falling to his knees in the snow. "I love you guys, too." His tears fell on the snowball, causing it to turn into a ball of crystal blue ice.

He would _never_ let it melt.

**I thought about changing my original idea to all of the Guardians somehow visiting the spirits of the 20 victims of the Connecticut shooting and guiding them to the afterlife. I figured, though, that such an idea may come across as insensitive or disrespectful to some people, though my intentions are anything but. Say a prayer for the victims of the shootings, both in Oregon and Connecticut, and a general prayer for humanity itself. Peace out...**


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